Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra Tours Belgium And The Netherlands

The world is growing again for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO), which returns to international touring July 10 - 19 with a visit to Belgium and the Netherlands. 

 

Ninety-seven musicians – some of whom will be taking their first airplane trip -- and 37 adults will be going on the tour.

 

MYSO normally tours internationally every two years, but the pandemic prevented travel in 2021.

 

“It's a great learning experience for our young musicians,” said Linda Edelstein, Chief Executive Officer. “They connect with people in a foreign country through the universal language of music, bringing all their energy and spirit with them.”

 

The orchestra will perform at Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, Belgium, and two venues in the Netherlands: the Parkzaal at Musis Sacrum in Arnhem and the world-famous Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

 

Artistic and Music Director Carter Simmons, who has been at MYSO for 30 years, will lead the orchestra.

 

Simmons has expanded MYSO's reach around the world through tours in Europe, South America, China, and the United States, at venues such as Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing and Orchestra Hall in Chicago.

Since 1956, Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) has been nurturing, challenging, and inspiring young minds through music, profoundly changing lives and our community for the better. MYSO has grown from one orchestra and 30 students to become one of the largest youth orchestras in the country, and one of the most respected. We serve 900 of the area's young musicians, ages 8–18, who come from more than 200 schools, 60 communities, and as many as 14 counties throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. We reach an audience of 25,000 annually through more than 150 public performances.

 

Today we offer more than 40 ensembles and enrichment training options, ranging from symphony and string orchestras, and jazz and steel bands to music theory, composition, and international tours, providing quality musical experiences for a wide range of skill levels.

 

For more information about MYSO and its many programs, please visit myso.org.

 

MYSO Artistic and Music Director Carter Simmons has been the organization's visionary artistic leader for 30 years at MYSO. He assumed the role of Music Director for the Senior Symphony in 2021. Simmons' leadership has been sought nationally and throughout our region where he has conducted for the Milwaukee Ballet, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, artists of the Florentine Opera, and the Wisconsin Philharmonic, among other regional orchestras. He currently serves as Music Director of the Festival City Symphony.

 

During his tenure leading the artistic and program staff, MYSO has grown to serve thousands of students and received the prestigious National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award in 2015. Mr. Simmons has served on the Education and Community Engagement Committee of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He is a Past President of the Board of Directors of Milwaukee's Civic Music Association who recognized Simmons as a Distinguished Professional in the Arts.

 

Born outside Washington, D.C., Mr. Simmons' training included participation at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Eastern Music Festival, and lessons at the Tanglewood Music Center. A finalist of the National Conducting Institute of the National Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Simmons also participated in seminars conducting the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble. He attended classes of Elizabeth A. H. Green, John Downey, Leon Fleischer, Gustav Meier, and Frederick Fennell among others, and is most grateful to his teachers Dr. John R. Locke, Robert Gutter, Larry Rachleff, and Professor Thomas L. Dvorak.

To post a comment, you must register and login.